After a stressful week at The Commercial Dispatch building, we are happy to report that Inky the Cat has returned home.
Last week, when one of his human peers here at The Dispatch went down to Inky’s domain in the basement of our building on Main Street, Inky was nowhere to be found. This was cause for concern because he is always ready for company.
About eight months ago, Inky appeared in our basement, which contains the press room and a warehouse area. The press crew started feeding him, at which point Inky took up permanent residence. At first Inky was wary of visitors and would dart away when approached, but it didn’t take long for him to warm up to us.
In return, we figure Inky became the most loved and pampered cat in the whole Golden Triangle.
Some cats have an owner/companion who dotes on him. But since no single person can claim possession of Inky outright, he has become the cat-away-from-home for the entire Dispatch family. His basement lair, cool and dark, is filled with toys and beds, all donated by our staff. He gets tons of treats and lots of petting, even if it means getting messy. He can often be found playing hide and seek between the 500 pound rolls of paper we print on.
Inky wasn’t hard to name. He’s a feline Swiffer. As he plays in the basement he picks up ink dust along the way. Because he is black and gray, you can’t see that he is covered in ink. But when you pet him, each stroke deposits ink dust on your hands.
This seems to deter no one, of course. Printer’s ink is almost a sacrament at newspapers.
But since last Thursday, our hands were clean and our hearts were heavy.
Upon news of his return yesterday afternoon, a small crowd of employees rushed to check on him. He was missing his collar and the bell that always signaled his approach, but it is definitely Inky.
Details are scant right now, but a nearby business owner reportedly told one of our employees that she found Inky in her basement area.
We’re happy to have him home.
Inky is more than a cat to us. To us, he’s been a comforter, a stress-reliever, a therapist.
Things just weren’t the same around here without him.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
